The Shades of a Kiss
by Ami DragonHeart
Summary: Ben loves Mal in all her various masks and outfits but there's one he loves the most. ONE SHOT [Ben/Mal]


DIsclaimer: I do not own Disney Descendants nor the characters, just this fic

Mal was an enigma, wrapped in a riddle and tied off with a quandary. There were so many facets to her personality and yet the blended so seamlessly that unless you knew her you'd miss the subtle differences. She was as changing as the ocean, her mood shifting with the tide, and yet that was what made her so addictive, she kept you on your toes.

Like every good woman, Mal was an amalgamation of contradictions. Gentle yet fierce, loving but tough, sweet with a tart, bitter edge. There were so many aspects at war that you'd think they would clash but just like her outfits she seemed to be able to showcase them all and still make it look as natural as breathing.

Audrey had been easy to predict, the girl was as sugary-sweet as her dresses. Demure, perfectly manicured and rarely cross, just like a princess should be. Animals just seemed to love her. Yet Ben had always found something lacking between them. They should have been a perfect match, the perfect princess beside the crown prince but that was the problem wasn't it? It was _too_ perfect.

Enter the dragon, with her unique combination of street wear and elegance. Her ripped jeans and leather showcased her strength and resourcefulness yet she could be just as comfortable in a cocktail dress. The dress she wore for his coronation had been a perfect example of her modifying classic couture to give it a slight edge. She might look like the perfect princess but hurt someone she cared for and you'd be facing down a dragon in no time.

Mal was the spark that set his heart on fire. She was brash and witty, she traded barbs as easily as she did banter. She wasn't the princess the kingdom had wanted for him but she was the woman he needed beside him. When the rest of the kingdom made him want to tear his hair out she kept him grounded and unlike the other princesses she wouldn't be content to be just his companion, she'd be his partner in love and life. In fact he'd already spoken to his father about adding an extra seat to the council for her.

Ben loved the fairy, more than anything in the world, but what he loved most was what no one else would ever see. Those gorgeous gowns Evie made for her were for the kingdom to see how much she had changed, her ripped jeans were for her to remember that she hadn't, not completely, but those weren't his favourite outfits.

When Mal needed time to think there was only one thing that helped. There was a room in Beast Castle just for her to work in, at Auradon Prep it was a storage room that had been forgotten until a nosy fairy found it. Tucked away from the world wearing sleeveless overalls and a cropped shirt, both covered in coloured splotches, Mal painted.

The subject always varied. Sometimes it was portraits, sometimes it was places she'd been or landscapes she didn't want to forget, other times it was just her feelings at the time. The work didn't matter to Ben, what mattered was how freely she expressed herself there.

Everywhere else Mal seemed to hold some level of control, like she was holding back a little bit. He suspected that was mostly her not wanting to say or do the wrong thing. In her art room though, all of that just melted away and what he saw was a fairy stripped bare of inhibitions.

Blue eyes sparkled with unspoken laughter as they watched her hips sway in time to the music. The amethyst curls he loved to toy with were pulled up into a messy bun and he was certain there was a smear of blue paint on her cheek. Bare feet danced as light as a fairy's on the cold floor, her paintbrush flourishing as if it too were part of the dance and not creating art.

Mal moved to the music, her focus on the canvas in front of her. Well it was until two warm hands gripped her sides, fingers brushing the bare skin of her waist while soft lips placed a gentle kiss to her neck. The fairy let out an uncharacteristic squeak, spinning around to slap a handful of paint to the side of Ben's face. "You scared me!" She chided, trying not to smile while she scolded him.

"You're gorgeous." Ben countered, grabbing a rag to wipe most of the paint off his cheek. His hands returned to her waist as he pulled her closer. He loved her in her ripped jeans just as much as he loved her in elegant gowns but in her paint-covered clothes was the look he loved the most. It was a side that no one else got to see of her, a secret he could keep all to himself. There were no barriers or fronts, no sarcasm or silk fans to hide behind, just pure Mal in it's unrefined state. "Dance with me."

Mal chuckled at the shy request, shaking her head slightly. "I have paint all over me. You're going to get dirty." She didn't dance, or at least she hadn't on the Isle. Now it seemed she couldn't stop, but only if Ben was holding her hand. Actually, dancing didn't seem to terrible if Ben was the one with his arms around her.

Lifting her up gently Ben set her bare feet down on top of his shiny oxfords. "I would sacrifice a hundred shirts just to hold you." Arm arms slid around her waist, pulling her flush against his chest. Ben would be perfectly happy with this being the rest of his day, dancing around her paint studio with his fairy.

Hesitantly her paint-covered hands rested around his neck, her head dropping to his chest as they moved. Ben's feet carried them both around the room in a silly mockery of a waltz. They must look like quite the pair, him in his crisp dress shirt and pants, now with paint stains, and her standing on his shoes in splattered overalls, and she couldn't find it in herself to care, not while he was holding her like she was the most important thing in the world.

Reaching down he tilted her chin until he could press his lips to hers. Small hands cupped his face, fingers sliding into his hair as she kissed him back with just as much fervor. No one would ever truly understand how much love an ex-villain could possess but that was okay because he knew and he didn't intend to share. His lips made their way to her neck just as his phone began to beep. "I have to go." He hated leaving, especially at a time like this but duty called. "We'll continue this later, say dinner, seven o'clock?" Mal nodded, waving as he raced back out the door.

The council raised a collective eyebrow as Ben entered the room. The collar of his shirt was sticking up and there were paint smears all over his shirt, cheek and hair. Glancing down at himself Ben groaned, he looked disheveled and it wasn't far from the truth. Blushing he took his place, it was too late to change now, he'd just have to deal with the mermaids, fairies and mice giggling at him. Strangely enough it was Grumpy who came to his aid. "Alright, are you lot done twittering like idiots so we can get on with it? I have places to be." Ben threw the gruff dwarf a thankful smile, gaining a quick nod in return. They hadn't always seen eye-to-eye but Grumpy respected Ben's leadership, the boy tried to to what was best for the kingdom and that was something he would support. Whatever he did in his spare time, well that was his business and those nosy fairies could shove off.

-May your thoughts and creativity flow

Lady Ami DragonHeart


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